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Tech, HSC name vice presidents of research

Michael Conn will begin at the Health Sciences Center on Dec. 1. Robert Duncan will start at Texas Tech Jan. 1.

In the midst of an ongoing effort to reach Tier One research status, Texas Tech and the TTU Health Sciences Center have both announced the hiring of new vice presidents for research.

Michael Conn, director of research advocacy at Oregon Health and Science University, will begin at TTUHSC on Dec. 1.

Robert Duncan, vice chancellor for research at the University of Missouri, will start at Tech on Jan. 1.

Their hiring comes as the Tech system attempts to strengthen research efforts to better resemble schools in the Association of American Universities. In 2012, Tech was declared eligible to receive money from the state’s National Research University Fund. That year, the Tech system spent about $200 million total on research.

The role of the vice president of research differs according to institution, but in most cases it is concerned with ensuring that research projects are compliant with laws and ethics codes stated in their contracts.

Michael Conn, TTUHSC

In addition to serving as vice president for research at the Health Sciences Center, Conn will also serve as associate provost and as a professor in the School of Medicine’s Department of Internal Medicine.

Conn said one of his priorities will be facilitating communication between the main campus and TTUHSC.

“The most productive areas are frequently at the intersection of scientific discipline,” he said.

Using the example of his own artificial hip replacement, Conn illustrated his point on collaboration: The replacement would not have been possible without combining the work done by biomedical researchers, engineers and clinicians.

“The opportunities to bring together the general medical center and academic center are great,” he said.

Another of Conn’s priorities will be growing the number of faculty to increase the center’s national profile and make it attractive for researchers. He said the center should focus on research that can be easily applied to bedside medicine.

Conn is best-known for his work in cellular biology, specifically on protein hormones called gonadotropins. He is also a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

“His passion for the discovery of knowledge will set a great course in our quest to become a comprehensive research university,” TTUSHC President Tedd Mitchell said in a news release.

Robert Duncan, Texas Tech

Duncan said one of the biggest incentives for him to come to Texas Tech was Duane Nellis.

“I knew President Nellis by his reputation,” Duncan said. “How closely he works in the research office, how he advanced research initiatives and capabilities. I was very excited by President Nellis’ commitment to grow research at Texas Tech.”

In a news release, Nellis was hopeful that Duncan could help bring Tech to Tier One status.

“Dr. Duncan’s extensive backgrounds in teaching, research and as vice chancellor for research at the University of Missouri combine to provide a strong vision and effective leadership as we move forward as one of the nation’s leading research institutions.”

Duncan agreed that collaboration between the main campus and TTUHSC is important for Tech to meet its research ambitions. He sees his role as a catalyst — bringing faculty together from different departments to meet research goals.

His strategic plan encourages Tech to focus on areas where it is already excelling. He used the example of wind energy — Tech already tops the list of institutions researching wind power. Duncan said wind researchers at Tech could explore how to use wind energy to desalinate water from saltwater aquifers.

Duncan graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1982. Before beginning his academic career, he served as a physicist at Sandia National Laboratories.